"The idea is to stop arresting and jailing people simply for possessing drugs."
Meanwhile... Oregon just became the first state to decriminalize hard drug possession.
Meanwhile... Oregon just became the first state to decriminalize hard drug possession.
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NewsTranscript
00:00You
00:30Decriminalizing all drugs is not a new idea. Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001 and
00:42it was a response to a health crisis. They were seeing soaring rates of HIV and AIDS and so they
00:51decided to study the issue and doctors, law enforcement, judges came up with the solution
00:59of let's stop criminalizing people and instead offer voluntary treatment and services. And in
01:07the past two decades, the evidence is in. It's working. And so the Oregon Measure 110 initiative
01:15was modeled after Portugal but adapted to meet the needs of the state of Oregon. And
01:23so it's a similar approach to one that's already proven to be successful elsewhere.
01:45The idea is to stop arresting and jailing people simply for possessing drugs and for
02:03folks who are struggling with addiction to offer treatment and support if they are ready and want
02:14it and to ensure that we are investing in that health-based alternative. And in the United States,
02:22simple drug possession is the number one most arrested offense in the entire country. One
02:29person is arrested every 23 seconds just for possessing a drug.
02:44Outside of the state of Oregon, we are already seeing folks inspired from Washington State to
02:58California to Vermont and even at the federal level where there's interest in Congress.